Nettle wine

[Leon]

After much cogitation the recipie I went for five litres was:

2 litres of white grape juice,
2.5 litres of nettle tops,
teaspoon of nutrient,
Gervin Varietal D,
Teaspoon of bentonite,
B1 tablet.

I fermented the grape juice down to 1000 then added the nettles. Even though all the recipies reccommended boiling the nettles, I wondered if that was a sign more of the time, as a few people on here have questioned the need for boiling. So in a bid to cover all bases I boiled a litre and a half of the nettles in a litre of water and added a litre straight from the field, just chopped them roughly. It's all fermenting away in my cauldron, I'll be back in a year to tell you what it tastes like.

[Leon]

Well, in the interests of scientific research, and to help a fellow wine-maker, I have just opened a bottle of last year's hawthorn blossom. And I must say, I am very impressed!

Wow, thank you so very much for going to such lengths on my behalf, If I can ever repay the favour.... Sounds interesting, I don't suppose it matters if it has a distinctly hawthorn flavour, as long as it has a distinct flavour; well distinctly good at least.

I guess that makes me more of a Wurzel than you!!

Man! Out Countried!

[Emeraldclaire]

Blade of straw doesn't sound right, but now you mention it, I have no idea what a piece of straw is called. We have just build an eco straw-bale building on our community garden, and I seem to go to bed every night with 'bits' of straw in my hair!!!! I guess that makes me more of a Wurzel than you!!

[Emeraldclaire]

Did it have a distinct taste that you could pin down as 'Hawthorn'? Oak leaf, good shout. I have added it to the list. I'm getting so country I have a blade of straw in my mouth and they call me Worzel. Is it a blade of straw?

Well, in the interests of scientific research, and to help a fellow wine-maker, I have just opened a bottle of last year's hawthorn blossom. And I must say, I am very impressed! (Modest, too). It's a lovely amber colour, but as to whether I could tell you it was hawthorn just by the taste, I'd say not. But I am not an expert, I just know what I like, and I find it hard to describe wines like Oz Clarke does! I stopped it before it got too dry. I can tell it's a flower wine, but much more subtle than elderflower. I am definitely going to be making this again this year. I just can't see all that lovely blossom without thinking about wine!
Another thought - I have never seen a recipe for sloe blossom wine. Although we can't have everyone taking that blossom, or there'd be no sloes left for all that wine and liqueur in the autumn!

[Cellar_Rat]

I thank you

[lockwood1956]

hahahahahha

you turnip!

[Cellar_Rat]

Here it is...

T Edwin Belt alike.jpg

[lockwood1956]

ooo

I've never seen that one then

a gap in my library then!!!!!

I have first steps in winemaking
home brewed beers and stouts
winemaking from canned and dried fruits
130 new recipes

What is the title? I need to complete my library!

regards
Bob

[Cellar_Rat]

T Edwin Belt did the Elderbrry and Elderflower book
see here

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/s...ambucus-Nigra)

regards
Bob

mine has CJJ Berry written on the front !

[robwrx]

The 2lb Elderberry and 2lb Blackberry per gallon recipe which is on the forum somewhere is very good if the one I tried at Grapefest is anything to go by.

I have started a couple of gallons of that and also used some of the recipes from Bill Smiths Award Winning Wines book that features elderberries as an ingredient.

Well worth getting hold of the book anyway in my opinion. It is a good read and very useful for trying to make wines using ingredients other than grapes.

Rob

[Leon]

Cheers Bob, Thats brilliant,

just waiting for the Elderberries now.

[Cellar_Rat]

Blimey - well typed dude!!

[Cellar_Rat]

did he copy it off CJJ

[lockwood1956]

T Edwin Belt did the Elderbrry and Elderflower book
see here

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/s...ambucus-Nigra)

regards
Bob

[Cellar_Rat]

A lot of country wines were originally made to store the goodness of the plant - nettle for one has many health beneficial properties.

I want to try nettle, dandelion, gorse and the elders.

- CJJ did a book dedicated to elderberries and flowers - might be worth hunting it down.